xAI Series/Mindanao Philosophy: Featuring Gerry Arambala

Gerry Arambala (full name often listed as Gerry F. Arambala) is a Filipino philosopher and academic based in Mindanao, Philippines.

He specializes in social and political philosophy, with interests including democracy (particularly deliberative and radical democracy), ethics, metaphysics, and related areas like capability approaches (drawing from Amartya Sen), agonistic philosophy, and Filipino philosophy.

His professional background includes:

Serving as Chairperson (or Chair) of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at La Salle University in Ozamiz City.

Affiliations with Mindanao State University – General Santos City (MSU GenSan), where he has been listed in academic profiles.

He is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of San Agustin in Ilo-ilo City teaching philosophy.

Graduate studies (MA in Philosophy) at the University of San Carlos in Cebu.

He is an active contributor to philosophical discussions in the Philippines, particularly in Mindanao. His work appears in platforms like PhilPapers, PhilArchive, ResearchGate, Google Scholar (with around 25 citations), and journals/publications associated with the Social Ethics Society (SES), a Mindanao-based organization focused on ethics and philosophy (which aligns with the conference context from your previous messages).

Notable publications and research include:

"Radical Leadership in Post-Parojinog Ozamis Politics" — exploring local political dynamics in Ozamiz City.

"Radical Politics in Ozamiz: The Rise and Fall of a Mindanao Boss" — a book on Kindle/Amazon analyzing political leadership and power structures.

"An Agonistic Approach to Filipino Philosophy."

Papers on genetic engineering and social justice using Sen's capability approach, empowerment during the COVID-19 pandemic, and related ethical/political themes.

He has presented papers at conferences, including events linked to the Social Ethics Society and international public health/philosophy gatherings.

He is a philosophy educator, department head, and researcher focused on politically engaged philosophy in the Philippine (especially Mindanao) context.

Statement of the SES expressing its opposition to the proposal to remove Ethics in the GE Curriculum

We, members of the Board of Directors of the Social Ethics Society, express our strong opposition to the proposal to remove ethics in college. Such move is bereft of merit and is ignorant as to the value and purpose of the teaching of the course, which is thoroughly rooted in the integral and critical function of higher education. The proposal to transfer it to Senior High School deprives college students of the teaching of ethics as a professional course, which is crucial in their civic engagements and the pursuit of a democratic society that can only be grounded in responsible citizenship and critical thinking. The direction of Edcom and its advisers from the technical panels of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) reduces our whole education system into a mode of creating docile workers who will constitute the labor force that will serve the whims and interests of a capital intensive and consumer driven globalized neoliberal economic order. It only breeds our subser...

Statement of the SES BOD Chair

The Social Ethics Society was founded in 2010 by the late Dr. Romulo Bautista, a professor at Ateneo de Davao University who did his doctorate on Marx at the University of Madrid in Spain, and Dr. Christopher Ryan Maboloc, then a young teacher at Ateneo de Davao. The first SES Conference was held at the University of Mindanao. Its original membership was only 15, consisting mainly of the masters students of the two founders. While in the peripheries of academia, the SES pursued its goals of helping teachers in Mindanao develop their craft in ways that is consistent with philosophy as an exercise of the human will and as the highest expression of the human intellect. When its proponents presented the concept, it was suggested that the Union of Philosophical Societies and Associations in the Philippines (USAPP) will lobby for a new bill that will professionalize philosophy in the country. That was in 2018. Top UST philosophy academics, upon the invitation of Peter Elicor, attended t...

List of Accepted Papers for Oral Presentation in the 16th SES Conference

1. Donnalen Quezon (MSU-IIT) - The Paradox of Justice: A Feminist Analysis of How the Philippine Legal System Reinforces Silence Among Rape Victims through Catharine MacKinnon’s Theory of the State 2. Najifah Macaraya & Erickson Totanes (MSU - GenSan) - Thinking Peace: A Philosophical Approach to Inner and Social Harmony 3. Francis Matay-ao Jr. (Isabela State University) - Principle-Centered Leadership: A Catalyst for Sustainable Development in Higher Education Institutions 4. Shasell Ybanez (MSU-IIT) - A Foucauldian Analysis of How Mega Influencers Reconfigure Knowledge and Desire in the Click-to-Bet Economy 5. Casey Tuazon & Shasell Ybanez (MSU-IIT) - The Ethical Implications of David Poplar’s Concept of Play Framing in the Context of Body-Shaming Humor Toward Filipino Women: A Luna Dolezal Body and Shame Analysis 6. Marlon Naiz (Southern Christian College) - Redefining Ecotourism: A Conservationist Analysis Based On Aldo Leop...

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